Mutant Trade
by Ellibell
Summary: A girl running away from her past and everyone in it finally finds a home- and a family. And family take care of each other.
1. Runaway

**A/N: This is a story I started working on awhile back but didn't continue because my plot fairy ran out of pixie dust. Through reading ozhawk's wonderful stories, I remembered why I began the story in the first place. :) Hence the story. I've already got 4 chapters written, and am working steadily to continue. My hope is to be able to post a chapter every Tuesday and Friday, life schedule permitting. :) **

_Chapter 1_

Merry sat down as her breath slowed. Her pursuers would be in any minute. She glanced around the coffee shop, scanning in turn the faces of those present. Her breath returned to normal as she started formulating what action to take next. Her hair was styled in a braid, and her jacket was tied around her waist, as she had been walking in the park nearby when she spotted the men who wanted her back. She quickly brought her hair down and brushed through it with her fingers. Her jacket she untied and put on, making sure not to bring too much attention to herself.

She decided to buy a coffee so as to not look out of place. Rising slowly, she walked over to the counter, with her order already in her head.

"Hello, what can I get you this morning? Are you ready to order?" The cheerful barista waited for Merry to order.

"Yes, I am. A white mocha regular, please." Merry started to bounce lightly on her toes, something she did when she was nervous.

"Sure, no problem. That'll be $3.25, miss."

Merry handed over the money she had with her, then accepted the change from the barista, nodding her thanks. Before she could turn away, the door banged open and the very men she was trying to escape boldly walked in, scanning the cafe for Merry. Merry adverted her face, away from the ringleader who walked up to counter, causing the barista to unintentionally take a step back.

The man's green eyes gave no indication of his dubious intentions that were evident in his manner. His voice was rough, as he barked out his question.

"Have you a woman come in named Meredith Wrangler? About yea high, hazel eyes, brown hair in a braid?

"N-n-no", The barista managed to get out.

"Hmph" The man muttered to himself, as one of his men came up to him.

"Sir, she's not here. She must have doubled back somehow."

"Fine. We'll search for her along the route. Gather the men and start scanning everywhere." The man turned towards the door, ignoring the barista and the girl waiting for her coffee. Merry silently gave thanks to the heavens, grabbed her available coffee, and headed towards the back entrance, with a bit of hurry to her step. Right as she walked through, she heard the front door bell ring as someone walked in.

The man searched for the girl he had foolishly looked over the first time he was in. Glancing toward the back of the shop, he caught a glimpse of the jacket heading around the corner. Cursing under his breath, he shot towards the back, bumping into a few patrons along the way.

"Hey! Watch it! A young writer blurted as his chair was bumped toward his table. His voice died off as he caught a look at the man who rushed by. He muttered a few choice words and resumed typing.

Merry raced down the alley, looking for a shop to duck into. She reached the end and momentarily debated which way to turn. She heard a shout behind her and instinctively turned left, her heart racing as fast as her feet pounding the street. _I've got to get out of here; how the hell am I supposed to get away from him? Somebody please help me! _Her breath became ragged, and she gasped at the knot forming in her stomach. She lost track of how many turns she took, trying to lose the man on her trail. Glancing back at her pursuer, she found an extra burst of speed as she saw him catching up slowly. She turned forward, and-

"Oof!" Her head snapped back as the ground rose to meet her. Her head hit the ground hard, sparking dark spots crossing her vision as she struggled to stay alert. A man seemed to be standing protectively over her, his hands out in blasting position, but nothing seemed to be happening. She gave up on trying to stay awake and resigned herself to whatever this new arrival wanted with her.

**A/N: Who do you think the new arrival is? ;) Would love to know what you think about the story, please comment/review! I'd love to hear from you! **


	2. Safehouse

**As always, I appreciate any and all reviews, comments, favorites and follows. Enjoy! :) **

Chapter 2

Her head throbbed, but her body was pretty comfortable. She regained consciousness slowly, voices swirling around in her mind. As she blinked her eyes open, Merry realized the voices were coming from inside the room. Two men were arguing, their voices laced with accents. The one speaking right next to her had a slight British accent. He spoke with authority, seeming to be in charge.

"We need to let her rest now, Erik. There is no need to question her yet. All we know is that she needed help. Did you learn anything from the attacker?"

"No. He did not provide any information." Erik replied, from some distance away from Merry.

"Please tell me you did not kill him. You know I don't approve of that course of action." "No, no. Don't worry. He'll just wake up with a raging headache. Truth was, he's not worth it." Erik reassured his companion.

Merry blinked and tried to move her head, letting out a small moan. Both the men turned to her and came closer. The man beside her was in a wheelchair, smiling broadly at Merry. She raised a hand to her aching head, a grimace on her face from the pain.

"Greetings, dear. How are you doing? I am sorry about your head, Erik did not mean to cause you harm." The man in the wheelchair went on, "I am Charles Xavier, but some people call me Professor X. I own the house we've brought you to. This is Erik Lensherr, my dear friend and associate. May I ask, what is your name?"

Merry blinked again and wondered at this turn of events. Were they working for…? No, couldn't be. She'd never heard or seen them before. The men were waiting patiently for her answer.

"Meredith Wrangler, but my friends call me Merry. Um, nice to meet you. How…?"

"-Did we know where to find you?" Professor X's face changed momentarily, but soon went to a neutral expression. "You sent out a cry for help, when you first sighted those men. I heard, and since we were in the area, I sent Erik to go help."

"But I didn't say anything aloud. How did you hear- are you a mind reader?" Merry panicked inside, sitting up abruptly, causing the throbbing to shoot through her head again, drawing a quick breath. Erik and Professor X edged closer in concern, but she shooed them away. "Why am I here? What was the purpose of bringing me here?"

Professor X and Erik shared a glance. "We thought this would be the best course of action, as we know we can protect you here."

"Just the two of you? That would be inadequate, as they are part of an organization that has many thugs at their beck and call. You'd be outmanned and outnumbered." Merry shivered in memory of those who wanted her back. The professor's face softened, and Merry started feeling wisps of comfort embracing her, entering through her mind. She relaxed a bit, and a peace swept over her.

"Charles and I are not the only ones here, nor are we outmanned." Erik spoke up from behind her, and she tensed her shoulders from his closeness. "We both have something special…." here he hesitated, trying to grasp words to explain. Professor X took over.

"Erik and I both carry the X gene. Our bodies contain different mutations, different powers, that we have learned to control. I am a telepath, I can control things with my mind, in laymen terms." Here he smiled, and once again Merry felt the feeling of comfort seep into her mind. She turned towards him and asked,

"Is that you?"

He nodded, hands touching in the shape of a triangle, forming a bridge with his arms from both sides of his wheelchair.

"And what does Erik do?" She said, turning on the counter to face the man behind her. He reached out, hands in the blasting position, but nothing coming from them. A sound caused her to whirl around, witnessing the professor's wheelchair, with him in it, rising off the floor.

"Whoa…" She breathed softly. "Levitation?" Erik smiled, slowly lowering both his hands and the professor's wheelchair.

"No," Professor X chuckled. "He controls metal in any form. Very handy when a bullet with your name on it is hurtling towards you." Merry gave a small smile. "Are you feeling well enough for a tour?" He asked.

**What did you think? Let me know below! :) **


	3. School

**A/N: I had someone ask me when this is set; This is set in the aftermath of DOFP, the "new" timeline of the X-Men. In my headcanon, Professor and Magneto are working together after coming to a compromise, sort of agreeing to disagree on some things. Hope this helps. :) PM if it's still confusing. I'd love to chat! **

Chapter 3

The hallway they entered into was paneled with blue chrome walls, bouncing light from the ceiling light fixtures everywhere, causing the hallway to have a slight sci-fi feel. They entered into an elevator that seemed to appear out of no where, and with a slight whoosh, Merry felt the gravity pull on her stomach as they shot upwards. The inside of the elevator was wood paneling, lending a comfortable sophisticated air to the close quarters.

The doors pinged open, and the professor wheeled out first, followed by Erik. The air was full of noise, kids chatting, doors opening and closing, sneakers screeching across the floor. Merry hung back, overwhelmed by the chaos that seemed to be out there. Erik turned back, smiling at her.

"It's alright my dear. Do not be afraid." He spoke with a slight German accent, and briefly Merry wondered how the two men had come to meet each other. Anything to focus on something other than stepping out into the unknown. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out into the hallway. The long paneled hallway seemed to stretch before her, and she hesitated for a moment. Professor X was already wheeling down the hallway, and Erik motioned for her to follow. She hurried to walk behind the wheelchair, sticking close the two gentlemen. As they got closer to the end, the noise grew louder. They rounded the corner and almost got ran over by two young boys, one holding a frog in his hands, which were becoming the same shade of green as the frog itself. They paid no attention to the small group, heading towards the outdoors. Professor X paused, allowing Merry and Erik to catch up. He nodded towards another hallways, wider and more light flooding the passage.

"Those are the classrooms. Most of the classes are held on the main floor or in one of the outside buildings. The students board on the 2nd and 3rd floor, with the instructors interspersed among them. My office is down this other hallway," He inclined his head in a different direction, towards a door with his name engraved on a gold plaque hanging on it. "But rarely am I in there during the day."

"So this is a school?" Merry questioned, her eyes wandering to and fro, taking it all in.

"Yes, but for a specific set of kids. This is a safe place for mutants, where they can live and learn in a safe place. We help those who don't know how to control their talents, and provide wisdom for those who are looking for advice. Many of these kids were registered by their parents, but quite a few of them are strays, people looking for a place where they'd be accepted and given a home." The professor looked happy at the thought of providing what these kids needed.

"Or, for people like you, who just needed help." Erik mentioned in his quiet low voice.

Merry flinched as a bell rang out, and the chaos got louder, while more kids hurried by, going every which way, hurrying to get to classes before the second bell. The amount of kids diminished significantly seconds before the sound of the bell rang out again. Doors slammed as the classes got underway. For a minute the area was quiet, then a pair of adults started walking towards the trio, the girl animatedly talking while the much taller, bigger man beside her quietly listened. Merry noticed the young man, as he was definitely taller than the average male. He was built too, with a grey shirt stretching to cover his wide pectorals. The pair noticed Merry and the two gentlemen with her, and veered to intercept. The professor nodded to both of them, then turned to introduce Merry.

"Piotr, Kitty, this is Meredith. She'll be staying with us for a little bit. Meredith, these are two of our instructors. Kitty Pryde, or Shadowcat, helps to teach world history, while Piotr here, teaches both Russian and art. Piotr is sometimes called Colossus."

Kitty eagerly stepped forward and gave a little hug to Merry. She looked like she had just graduated from high school, with a bubbly personality to match. "So how long do you think you'll be staying with us? Do you have a special talent? How did you learn about us? I heard you weren't feeling well, are you feeling better now?" Her focus was then directed to Erik and the professor. "Professor X, Magneto, you both promised to help me and Rogue with planning the program for the end of year graduation today. Neither her or I have any classes to teach at the moment, would you be able to help now?"

The professor hesitated, while Erik answered. "Well, we were giving Merry here a tour, but I suppose if Piotr's not busy," here he looked over at the Russian, who gave a small nod, "and if Merry doesn't mind," now he looked at Merry, who produced a smile, "then yes, I suppose we can, Charles, can't we? Now's as good a time as any."

"Let's head to my office, I'll see if Rogue will join us." The professor wheeled off with a smile for Merry, then all three of them disappeared into his office. Merry looked at Piotr, who smiled reassuringly down at her. She gave another small smile, not sure what to do next. Piotr held his hand out, pointing towards the outside.

"Shall we?"

**So whadja think? :) Review, pm me and let me know what your thought is! :D Also, I'm moving this weekend (thurs-sun), plus chapter 4 is stalling itself and the plot fairy has dissapeared on me, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to post on Thursday. Just a heads up. Thanks! :) **


	4. Exploration

**A/N: Hi, sorry I didn't get to post yesterday, I was still moving in, and the plot was messing with my mind. This chapter originally was longer, but the end wasn't fitting right, so I revised yet again. I've managed to wrangle this next chapter into submission, so here you go! As always, read and review, I appreciate your comments so much! :) **

Chapter 4

Outside the birds were chirping in the trees, the sun was shining brightly, and a light breeze was rustling through the trees. Nearby were beds of flowers, which were in full bloom, creating a wonderful landscape. Merry took a deep breath, able to relax a bit, now that she was out of the house. A movement caught her eye, and she tensed back up, even though it was just Piotr moving towards her.

"This is the backyard," He smiled gently down at her, noticing how she'd tensed when he got closer. "If you'll care to join me for a walk, I'll show you the outbuildings." Merry followed him around the house, staying on a path that seemed to border the house. As time passed, Piotr showed her the garage, the wood shop, the tool shed, the basketball court, the volleyball court, the ponds, and the small orchard in the back. He didn't say much, only what needed to be said. Merry got the feeling that he was a quiet fellow, and appreciated that he didn't try to push her into conversation. She couldn't resist sneaking looks at him any chance she got, and blushed when he caught her looking at him. He always gave her a smile though, and seemed to take it in stride. _He's probably used to getting looks, what with his height and everything…thank goodness. _

Piotr was curious about this woman, wondering what her back story was. She seemed to be frightened of something, and the look in the back of her eyes was haunting. He'd pretty much shown her everything, but something held him back from leading the way inside. Instead, he led the way to one of the benches off the path, underneath an old apple tree, it's blossoms giving off a soft fragrance. Pointing to the bench, he explained. "I thought you could use a break, since I've led you all over the grounds.

Merry appreciated the thought. She _had_ been getting a little weary, and it was so beautiful under the blossoming tree. She sat down thankfully, and grinned when the seat groaned under Piotr's weight. The sun came out from behind a cloud, and Merry raised her face towards the sunbeams, soaking up the warmth. Piotr couldn't help but look at her as the sun lit up her face, she had to be one of the prettiest women he had met. She seemed so tiny though, compared to him. _Though, you could say that about most girls. _He grinned mentally, thinking of those on his team who were smaller than him, which was most everyone. The sun felt warm on his face as well, and he enjoyed soaking up the rays with a pretty girl by his side. They hadn't said much, but he got the feeling that she preferred it that way, and he was just fine with that.

A low rumbling growl was heard, and Merry looked guiltily at her stomach. Glancing up, she caught Piotr looking at her with an amused look on his face.

"I'm getting a little hungry, and I get the feeling you might be too. Would you care to join me for a quick snack?" He stood up as he spoke, and pointed towards the mansion. "Besides, now would be a good time to show you where the kitchen is." He held out his hand, and Merry, after hesitating for a second, took it gratefully, standing up and following him to a side door located among the vines gracing the wall. She was starting to feel more secure in this place, feeling like maybe, just maybe, this might turn out to be home.

**Stay tuned folks! :) **


	5. Memories

**A/N: Sorry about not posting last Thursday. Busy weekend and lots of editing. :) I took the suggestion of the Guest who wanted to see some action. I really like how the chapter turned out, I hope you'll like it too! **

Chapter 5

Alarm bells woke Merry up from her fitful sleep. She sat straight up, struggling to enter reality as the rushing of feet sounded outside her door. Memories of the past were pushing to the surface in her mind, threatening to take over, but she frantically tried to push them down. Stumbling towards the door, Merry opened it a crack, witnessing mutant teenagers rushing past, towards the elevator. Merry felt an overwhelming sense of panic, and backed away from the door, trying to get away from the panic attack she knew was imminent. Crouched down against the wall, she put her head on her knees and started rocking back and forth, reason fleeing.

Before she could descend too far in the panic attack, the door swung open and a deep voice with a Russian accent announced,

"Meredith, we need to-Meredith, what's going on?" Piotr rushed over, concerned that she might be hurt. Merry flinched away from his hand, then realized who it was. Reaching up, she desperately grasped his arm.

"What's going on? Why is everyone evacuating?" Her voice shook, echoes of a panic attack evident in her tone, but Piotr couldn't focus on that right now.

"Come on, the perimeter alarm went off, we have intruders. We're evacuating everyone but the team down to the safe room. We need to leave now, almost everyone else is down there." Piotr stood up, helping Merry to her feet, and leading her to the door. Strangely, the corridor was now empty, with only echoes of receding footsteps down the stairs. Merry stayed close behind Piotr, curious and frightened at what was going on. Piotr led Merry towards the elevator, then reconsidered. "Stairs would be faster," he murmured to himself, as he preceded her down the flight of stairs. They reached the first floor landing when Piotr stopped, holding his hand up to his ear. Merry now noticed that he was wearing a leather jacket of some sorts, one with no sleeves, which meant his strong arms were in full view, something Meredith managed to appreciate before Piotr turned to her with a worried look on his face.

"The team has already taken out three intruders, but Jean says there's at least two more. One of them seems to be around our location. Thankfully all the kids are in the safe room, along with Professor X and Magneto." Piotr's face showed his concern, and Merry couldn't help but stand a little bit closer, grasping for a feeling of safeness. "Come on, we need to get you down there." They reached the base of the stairs when the sound of a door opening down the hallway occurred. They froze, trying to pin point where the sound was coming from. Piotr stepped forward, motioning for Merry to stay where she was. He rounded the corner as Merry waited anxiously. Suddenly, a sudden clanking sounded mere seconds before gunshots rang out. Merry rushed around the corner, only to discover Piotr was about a foot taller and his skin had turned to metal. Merry's mouth hung open, astonished at the sight. Piotr made quick work of the intruder, knocking out the man with one blow of his metal arm. Quickly he brushed past Merry, grabbing her arm to lead her away towards the elevator in order to get to the lower level.

Reaching the elevator, Piotr pushed the summon button and started bouncing lightly on his toes. Merry briefly wondered if his metal skin was cold, and wether it was heavy or not. A slight sound caused them to turn around as a gunshot simultaneously rang out. Merry blinked as a grey blur whooshed in front of her face, and the sound of a bullet ricocheting showed where the course of the bullet went. Piotr stood in front of her, in a protective stance.

"Hello, Meres. Long time no see. Whose your new friend?" The gravelly voice was laced with a Boston accent. Merry's heartbeat stuttered, the familiar voice bringing chills down her spine. She peeked around Piotr and confirmed her fears. Her chaser from earlier stood before her, pointing two guns at Piotr and herself. "Did you miss me, darling?"

**What do you think will happen? Leave your thoughts and comments below! Love it when you review! Thanks for the favorites and follows! **


	6. Development

**A/N: So so sorry it took this long to post, but it's a long one, so I hope it makes up for the wait! However, because my life's schedule changed and I'm in the process of starting a job and helping out a friend, I'm only going to be able to post once a week. So every Tuesday my goal is to post a new chapter. Thank you so much for your patience! **

Chapter 6

The man shifted to a more comfortable stance, his guns still aimed at Piotr and Merry. Merry shrunk back behind the Russian giant, eyes shut tight.

"Who are you?" Piotr commanded. His eyes were wary, scanning the man for any more weapons he might have other than the two guns that he looked very capable of handling. Piotr knew he had a good chance of taking this guy on by himself as he was virtually impenetrable, but he didn't want to take the chance of Merry getting hurt. _Why oh why was the elevator taking so long to arrive? _Just as the thought crossed his mind, the doors announced their opening with a quiet ding. At the same instant, the man started shooting again, and Piotr was kept busy reflecting the bullets as well as he could, keeping them away from Meredith. "Meredith, get in the elevator and push the B1 button! Have the Professor send Wolverine and Jean my way! And do what he tells you! Now go!"

Merry backed into the elevator and hurriedly moved to the side so that the man wouldn't be able to aim directly at her. She frantically pushed the button for B1. Piotr started to advance towards the gunman, arms still ricocheting bullets towards the walls. The doors clanged shut and the elevator descended. Merry sat down, trying to keep from sobbing, waiting for the end of the ride. The doors dinged open, revealing the Professor with a blue furred man-beast creature. Merry bolted upwards, babbling.

"You need to send Wolverine and Jean! Piotr needs help! Please! You need to help him, I don't want anything to happen because of me!" Merry collapsed in front of the Professor's wheelchair sobbing. The Professor bent forward to raise up Merry, and a flooding of peace overwhelmed her until her sobs quieted and a sense of numbness had settled in. Meanwhile the professor had his fingers against his temple and seemed to be communicating with someone. The blue furred man put his hands on Merry in order to guide her away.

"We haven't had a chance to introduce ourselves. My name is Hank, but I'm more known by my code name. Beast. And your name is?" Beast's pleasant voice kept Merry in her current state of calmness.

"Meredith. But my friends generally call me Merry. How come I haven't seen you around already?" Merry noticed that the hallway they were walking down was a bright shade of blue lined with LED lighting.

"I'm part of a group composed of mutants who are trained to help other mutants, and sometimes humans. We had just gotten back and were debriefing when the alarm went off. Logan, Jean and Scott are around here somewhere, helping to take care of the intruders. There are more of us, including Piotr, but a couple of them are still on missions. You might have already met the rest. When we aren't taking a shot at making life better for mutants, we teach classes here at the academy." They had stopped in front of a door that was inconspicuously in the wall. Beast pressed the green button on the intercom and a familiar voice answered.

"Safety passcode." Erik's voice demanded.

"Blueberry." Beast answered, and the door slid open. _Blueberry?_ Merry thought. _Such an interesting and weird passcode._ Beast stepped aside to let Merry enter first, the door closing behind them. Erik rested his hand on her shoulder.

"You're safe now Merry. Go ahead and take a seat with the others." He gave her a smile and a light squeeze. Merry took in her surroundings. All the students from earlier were sitting in groups on the floor, interspersed with teachers, most of whom she had seen earlier. Merry saw that a few of the teachers were dressed in combat outfits, including Kitty, who bounded over to Merry.

"Don't worry, we have it under control. We've encountered more intruders than you would think, and we always take care of it without injury. Well, almost without injury. Do you need a water? We have a small cooler of bottled water. Just in case some of the students or someone gets thirsty. Though we don't give anyone too much, in case someone needs to use the facilities, if you know what I mean. So did you not hear the alarm go off? Oh that's right, you're new enough we probably didn't get to the emergency part of the orientation. I didn't think this would happen so soon. Did Piotr help you? I bet he did, he said something about making sure you were okay. He's pretty awesome, right? His skin turns into metal! Isn't that so cool?" The spry female never seemed to slow down, and only now paused to take a breath. Merry took the chance to ask a question.

"Is his metal skin cold? You know, cause most metal is a temperature cooler than room temperature…I was just curious if it has the same temperature as human skin or not." Kitty grinned, letting out a small giggle.

"I wondered that too the first time I saw him transform. I don't know, I've actually never touched his metal skin. Never had the notion to do so while in combat. But you could probably ask him." Kitty looked like she was about to continue her monologue but she was beckoned by one of the teachers, a taller woman with white hair who was standing across the room. The talkative girl hurried over, and Merry was left on her own. She walked over to the closest wall space available and sat down, processing what had happened in such a short time. The nightmares, the flashback, and then the very thing she had been trying to get away from. _How did he know where I am? I don't even know where I am. Is someone here working with them? Did I not get all the trackers out? Oh please let Piotr be okay. I don't want HIM to hurt anyone else._ Merry fidgeted, waiting anxiously for new developments. Footsteps came in her direction, and she looked up to see Beast. He squatted down to be on face level with her to whisper his news.

"They've captured the intruder. He seems to be the leader of the group. Logan and Piotr have put him the in cell we have on site. I thought you might be interested to know. Oh, and Piotr's just fine. No bullets were able to pierce his skin." This last bit was conveyed with a small twinkle in his eyes, as Beast noted her concerned look relaxed. "However, the prisoner seems to know who you are, and must have been sent to come get you. Would you be able to explain?"

**Looks like next week we'll be seeing a bit of Merry's background! :) Let me know what you thought down below! Thank you! **


	7. Past

**A/N: Hi everyone! Due to some of Merry's past I'm going to give this chapter a M rating. **

**TRIGGER warning: Some of her memories contain some very dark instances. Please continue with caution if needed. Thanks. **

Chapter 7

Merry fidgeted in the comfortable chair. The crackling of the fire was soothing, as was the slight warmth emanating from the fireplace. Professor X sat across from her, his eyes closed, waiting for her to speak. The students and most of the teachers were back in bed, all was quiet in the upper levels of the mansion. The team of mutants were lounging in the living area, waiting for news on the intruder.

Merry gathered her courage and straightened up, ready to explain what she could. Professor X opened his eyes, sensing that she was ready for the questions he had for her.

"Now Merry, there might be an easier way of my gathering of information. I have explained to you already of some of my mental powers, but there's a bit more. Through practice of my gift, I have become skilled at entering one's mind, exploring their memories, learning what they know. Now, I won't enter someone's mind without permission unless forced to because of circumstances, and I only stick to what they want me to know. We can use this option, or we can stick to conversing out loud. Whatever you are more comfortable with dear." The professor's voice was steady and calm, easing Merry's mind about sharing information about her past.

"I think I'd like to try you entering my mind. It…it might be easier if…if I don't have to talk about it…out loud." Merry's voice got quieter as she looked down at her hands. The professor smiled gently and rolled his wheelchair closer. "I-I am ready to begin." Merry's voice struggled to stay calm at the thought of revisiting bad memories.

"All you need to do is let me go through your memories. Not all of them, just the ones relevant to explaining what's going on. Try to relax." The professor's voice was matter of fact, revealing the ease at which he performed such tasks. He placed his hands on each side of Merry's head and closed his eyes. Merry immediately relinquished control of her mind to the kindly professor.

Professor X searched through her memories, starting with her earliest recollection at the age of two, playing ball with her father, on a sunny afternoon. Rolling it towards her father, laughing when it rolled across the grassy lawn back to her. The next one to reach the surface was from her seventh birthday, blowing out the candles, wax spluttering on her mother's cheek, opening presents, excited at the thought of a new book. The next memory was clouded with sadness. Her father was missing, disappeared from a business trip overseas. Her mother sank down in the hallway, crying over the notice. More memories, each one with her mother becoming more and more depressed, losing an interest in life, culminating with standing at her mother's graveside. Tears started to crawl down Merry's cheeks, but she let the professor keep going.

He saw her first memory of the orphanage, full of unwanted children with no parents. Life seemed okay, until the raid that dark night, led by none other than the intruder, a man named Jeffery Hacke. Merry and the other children were scanned and separated into groups. Merry's group was taken away, shuffled into the back of army issued trucks, ferreted away to an unknown location. A big house on the outskirt of a city. As they entered through the back entrance, each child was fitted with an electronic collar by Hacke, then escorted to the basement, separated into different suites according to gender. Years passed, with the disappearance and additions of children, growing up in captivity. Merry kept to the corners of the room, doing nothing to attract attention. Over the years she built up a friendship with a tall blonde named Emma. Some of the girls, including Emma, were gone for only a period of time, silent with humiliation when they returned, with whispers of what went on upstairs passing through the group of girls. The day came when Merry was summoned upstairs. The professor guessed what happened during those trips and skipped over them, not wanting Merry to relive that portion of her life. He kept going, searching for why the man named Jeffery Hacke was now searching for Merry.

One day Emma sat down next to Merry after coming back from the upstairs. Silently Emma showed Merry a screwdriver she had hidden in her skirt pocket. Emma then waited until the guard was in the other room, then used the screwdriver to unlock her collar. Pulling Merry to her bunk, Emma then explained about an escape tunnel she had been working on, finally finished this morning. After taking care of Merry's collar, they wriggled their way into the tunnel, breathless with hope and adrenaline. Emerging after a long while on the other side of the fence, they took off towards freedom. Finding help from nice strangers, each of the girls found their own way of life, living on the run from Hacke and his helpers. , Merry was starting to finally feel truly free, until that fateful morning when she spotted a man she hoped never to see again during her morning run in the park.

Professor X released Merry, rolling his wheelchair back as he did, leaving Merry with a burst of peace. The tears that had rolled down her cheeks dried, leaving Merry feeling emotionally tired. She had to make sure the Professor knew everything though.

"I'm not sure you were able to figure it out, but the main reason they acquired us was because their business was in selling mutants to those who wanted to use us for their own purposes. They gathered mutants and then auctioned us to the highest bidder. Those collars controlled both us and our gifts, however some of us they couldn't figure out what our gifts were and generally left us alone. I uh, I don't know what my gift is. And I've never wanted to find out really. Not knowing meant safety, and it's hard to shake off that feeling."

The professor nodded. He motioned that she could leave, adding, "Thank you for allowing me to find the answers. I will not need your assistance for now. I think now would be a good time to rest. I'll have Piotr escort you to your room, if that will help you feel safe. You need not worry about Jeffery Hacke, he is located in one of our cells in the basement. There is not a way he can escape under the watchful eyes of Logan and Jean. For now I need to figure out the best way to utilize the information you have given me." He smiled once more, and Merry felt comfortable about having shared her past with him. She left his office, and immediately saw Piotr and Kitty in front of her.

"Piotr!" She kept herself from rushing over, instead nervously standing about a foot away. "Th-thank you for protecting me. I um, I really appreciate it." She tucked a wisp of hair around her ear, trying hard not to focus too much on how lame she sounded.

"Без проблем." Piotr grinned, then quickly added, "I mean, no problem. Sorry, sometimes I lapse into my native tongue."

"Especially when he's tired, poor guy." Kitty giggled. Piotr offered his arm to Meredith.

"Shall we return you to your room?" Piotr said. Merry took the proffered arm and walked with Piotr up all three flights to her room, as the elevator was not working at the moment. He kept up a light conversation, telling her of some of the antics of the students not wanting to go back to bed after the action, keeping her mind off of the seriousness of what had happened. He stopped in front of her door.

"Sweet dreams and goodnight." He smiled once more, opened her door for her, then with a touch of his fingers to his forehead in a salute, closed the door and left her in her room by herself. Crawling into her bed, weary and ready for sleep, she realized that even with the thought of Hacke many levels below her, she felt safe for the first time in awhile.

**Glad I was able to end it on a good note. More action will be coming forthwith! :) Let me know what you think! **

Без проблем- No problem. Google Translation.


	8. Sunshine

**Here's the next installation! It's a much lighter chapter, I had a lot of fun writing this one! :) **

Chapter 8

The sun streamed into the room, spreading warmth throughout the area, causing Merry to wake up drowsily. She sat up, remembering the events of last night. She got up and got dressed, picking out a green t-shirt and dark blue jeans from the wardrobe in her room. Wondering who had picked out the clothes, she examined herself in the mirror. The jeans fit right around the hips, but were a little long. Giving herself a little smile, she slipped on a pair of converse and left her room. Back in the hallway, Merry mentally visited last night in memory, both Piotr rescuing her and him escorting her back to her room. The latter made her smile again, a feeling yet unidentified coursing through her soul.

Upon reaching the first floor, she tried to remember where the kitchen was located. She turned down the side hallway, and found she was on the right path, soon reaching the kitchen, she could hear voices coming from within. Kitty's voice rose above the rest, piping up clearly. The smell of bacon wafted from within, and Merry entered the room with her nose up in the air, inhaling the sizzling goodness. Kitty was the first to notice her and beckoned her over.

"Merry! Yay, you're up! Come and join us! There's room right here next to me, between me and Storm! Do you like bacon? Of course you do, everyone likes bacon. It so yummy! So bad for me, but I can't resist. Do you like pancakes? Logan's got a plate going!" The girl gestured over to the stove, over which Logan, with half of a cigar in his mouth, was presiding, spatula in hand. He grunted and raised the spatula in a half-salute and then resumed flipping pancakes. Merry walked hesitantly towards the seat that Kitty mentioned, situated between Kitty and Storm at the regular sized dining oak table. The white haired teacher from last night had her hands wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee, seemingly still sleep ridden and in no mood to speak. Merry sat down and grabbed a pancake from the plate close by. Kitty passed her another plate heaped with bacon, and Merry served herself a couple. Across the table sat a blonde fellow with hazel eyes. He poured a glass full of orange juice and offered it to Merry.

"My name's Bobby. Welcome to Xavier Institute. Would you like some orange juice? Freshly squeezed and always chilled." He grinned, and as Merry took the glass, sent a gust of air around the glass, instantly chilling both the glass and the juice. Merry hesitated a second before trying a sip, finding to her pleasure that the liquid was just the right temperature. She gave him a smile of thanks. Kitty was chatting with anyone would listen, pausing only to chew her food. Around the table were others, including a guy with red lensed sunglasses. He was eating a bowl of cereal, silent and pensive. Merry sensed that he might be a loner, and wondered if his gift had something to do with his glasses. Erik and the Professor were nowhere to be seen, and Merry was curious if they had already eaten. Merry started to eat her breakfast, thankful for scrumptious food.

After a few moments had passed, Logan finished up another plate stacked high with pancakes and put it in the oven, keeping them warm till the others came through. He sat down at the other end of the table, the furthest seat from the man eating his bowl of cereal. "Something wrong with my cooking, Bub?" Directing his words at the man opposite, Logan removed the cigar from his mouth and threw it into a nearby trashcan. Cyclops grunted, but made no other reply. Logan piled high his plate, digging in with gusto. At this moment, Piotr entered.

"Rogue and Pyro just contacted us from their current location. They're making progress slowly but surely. They'll let us know if they need any more help. What's for breakfast?" He asked, addressing his fellow teachers/ teammates. He sat down and grabbed a plateful of food, the amount rivaling Logan's plate. Merry couldn't help looking around and feeling like she was surrounded by family again, with sun streaming in on the quaint scene. And she felt happy.

Down in the basement, Hacke sat patiently, biding his time and waiting for a specific moment.

**Any thoughts? :) Sorry, I couldn't let myself end on a happy note. **


	9. Clean-up

**Hi y'all! Did you miss me? Sorry about last week. Enjoy! :) **

Chapter 9

Breakfast was wrapping up in the kitchen, and Merry had become more comfortable, relaxed after the third round of seconds between Piotr and Logan. Jokes were cracked, teasing was rampant, and Merry found herself laughing more than once, especially when Storm got in on the teasing between Cyclops and Logan. She also learned more about both the personal and code names of the team. Storm's personal name was Ororo and Cyclops's was Scott. Logan's code name was Wolverine, Kitty's was Shadowcat, Piotr was Colossus, Erik's was Magneto and Bobby was Iceman.

"And Pyro's real name is John, and Rogue's is Marie." Kitty was more than happy to divulge the information, her talkative personality taking all questions in stride. There's others on the team as well, but you might not meet them for awhile."

As the table started to empty, Logan pointed at Kitty. "Hey Bub, it's your turn for dishes. Pick someone else to help clean up. I'm outta here. See you in the training room at 9:30 sharp."

Kitty looked at Piotr. "Well Colossal? Do you want to help me out? Bet you we could get them done in no time!"

"Sorry to disappoint, but I promised some of the boys that I would help them practice baseball before school. In fact, they should be finishing up their breakfast now. Soo, I should get going…have fun with the dishes though. Give my love to Dove." With these words he quickly left the kitchen. Merry turned to Kitty.

"I can help." She offered quietly. Kitty perked up again.

"Okay! Here, I'll wash the dishes, you dry. While I get the sink ready, you wanna clear off the table?" Not waiting for an answer, she turned the water on and swirled some soap on the bottom of the right side of the sink. Each time Merry put another load of dishes on the counter, the sink was more full of fluffy bubbles. Kitty started putting dishes in the soapy water and washing. Merry found dish towels in a drawer next to the sink and grabbed one. She and Kitty attacked the dishes with gusto, Merry fast enough that there was hardly dishes in the rinse side of the sink. Noise from outside the window over the sink caused the girls to look outside. Piotr was catching pitches from three boys that were spread out around him, expertly catching and throwing back in turn. His throws always made their mark, and Merry couldn't help but smile.

"Does the school have a baseball team?" She asked, not able to take her eyes off of Piotr and the boys.

"No, not really, but Piotr and Bobby like to put together baseball games every once in awhile. I think they're planning one in the next two weeks. If you let Piotr know, I'm sure he'll be able to put you somewhere…They're a lot of fun, even to just watch. Jubilee and I bring out the popcorn machine and hand out popcorn for the spectators, and Artie leads up the cheering section." Kitty started rambling again, and Merry did her best to stay focused on what the girl was chatting about.

Merry enjoyed watching Piotr interact with the boys, fondly instructing on what to and not to do. The boys treated him as an older brother, and Merry wished she had not been an only child.

The girls wrapped up the dishes, Kitty helping Merry put them away, in the process showing a more detailed tour of where everything went in the kitchen. Kitty wiped down the table while Merry tackled the counters. Kitty blew away the random hairs in her face, and grinned.

"Well, we finished cleaning up the kitchen. That means we won't have to for awhile." Glancing up at the clock, she twisted her mouth up in a thinking pose. "Looks like I'll have juust enough time to change into my uniform and get down to the danger room. You coming?"

"Danger room? But that sounds…dangerous. What do you do in there?" Merry wasn't sure she liked the sound of it.

"Aw, that's just what we call our training room. Professor and Logan never give us more than we handle. Trust me. 'Sides, I never get hurt. I always just phase through things." Kitty boasted. As she left the room she threw back over her shoulder, "The Danger room console is the fourth door on the right from the elevator on level B1. Just knock and then Forge will let you in. He's the guy who runs most of the electrical stuff around here. See you in a few minutes!"

Merry briefly debated staying topside and wandering outside, but her curiosity got the better of her. She walked out to the elevator, pushed the button and waited. While waiting, Bobby, the young man from earlier, came up beside her.

"Did you enjoy breakfast?" He asked, his grin infectious. Merry grinned back.

"Yes I did, thank you. I especially like the orange juice chilled to perfection. That was a nice touch." The elevator dinged open and Bobby stepped inside. He turned around and gave Merry another smile. "You coming? Cause this elevator isn't going to wait much longer."

Merry smiled back and joined him. Bobby pushed the button for B2.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"B1. For the console room." Merry replied hesitantly.

"Ah. Going to see us get whipped?" Bobby asked with puppy dog eyes.

Merry didn't answer as the elevator door had just slid open. She stepped out and waved at the blonde as the doors slid shut. He grinned one last time before he was gone. Merry turned and found the correct door. Knocking, she heard a "Come in!" and opened the door, which surprisingly was just a regular knob. Looking around, she discovered that the far wall was full of wall to wall windows, looking out into a big gym like area. She heard a grunt that brought her attention to a pair of legs sticking out from underneath the console.

"Hello? Um, are you Forge?" Merry asked tentatively.

The legs scrambled to get out from underneath, and a curse word slipped from the lips of a dark haired mechanic as he popped up in front of Merry. He gave a low whistle as he saw who was talking.

"Here to watch robots beat up mutants?" He asked.

"What? I hope not." Merry was shocked at the way he phrased his sentence.

"Well no matter. I've done what I could, but the machines might start doing what they think is right half way through this exercise. We'll just see what happens." He whistled a tune as he bent over a microphone on the console and pushed a button. "You guys ready? I'll give you 5 minutes for any late comers. Get ready, I'll start without any other warning." He chuckled to himself and seemed to remember he had company. "You can stand over there to watch." He motioned to a spot right up near the window. Merry crept closer and saw down on the floor below several people. Piotr stood out, as well as Logan and Storm. A few were doing stretches of various sorts, but not all. Cyclops was down there as well. Kitty burst through the door, apologizing profusely to anyone who would listen. Logan grunted in response.

Forge pushed another button and the lights in the gym area started flashing as panels slid open and various robotic machines made their entrance. Logan made fists and then, to Merry's surprise, long steel blades protruded from his knuckles. Storm rose slowly from the floor to about mid air. Piotr grew taller as his skin turned into a cold blue metal. Forge pushed another button, and at that instant all hell seemed to break loose.

**See you next week! :) Leave a note and tell me what you think! Thank you! **


	10. Teamwork

**A/N: Here's the next installment! :) Hope you enjoy it! And thank you for all those who follow, favorite and review, I'm so grateful for it! :D **

Chapter 10

Merry watched in fascination as the team fought the robotic machines. It did not look easy, and several times Merry thought that they might actually get hurt. Her gasps of shock or worry made the mechanic at the control board roll his eyes at what he considered to be overreactions. Unknowingly to those down below, he decided to truly give Merry something to worry about. Pushing an obscure button, he upped the program a level.

Down in the room, Piotr smushed a robotic gun to a crumpled piece of metal and wires. Around him the others were similarly having victories over the electronic enemies. Suddenly there was silence as the machines paused in their efforts to slay the team. Whirring and clicking echoed through the room as Logan caught Piotr's eye. They both recognized what was happening at the same time. Logan strode angrily towards the control booth.

"Foorrge!" He growled. Forge gave a mock salute and sat back in his swivel chair with a grin on his face. Logan whirled around as the machines began to show themselves and shouted to Piotr, "Stay near Kitty and Bobby!" He ran over to be near Storm, as Jean, Scott and Beast grouped together.

Bobby threw a slew of ice towards a few weaponized mechanical arms lowering themselves towards the young trio. Kitty turned to Piotr.

"Give me a boost?" She beckoned towards a smaller robotic arm dangling menacingly. Piotr nodded and held out his hands in a interlocked step. Kitty stepped on and pushed off of the boost given, grabbing the arm and pushing off the wall, breaking the wires and dislocating the arm then using her momentum to phase the arm through another robot, leaving the arm behind, shorting out the robot. She landed on her feet but fell forward and caught herself with her hands. She glanced back at Bobby, who was still shooting out ice towards the robotic arms and such.

"See? I'm like a cat!" She gleefully announced. "I landed on all fours!" Bobby grinned but it quickly turned to a worried look.

"Look out!" He shot ice towards the weapon aimed at Kitty. The ice enclosed the weapon and prevented any more movement. Kitty blew a quick kiss towards Bobby and moved on to her next target. Across the way, Cyclops was steadily slicing through wires and metal with his laser vision, and in another corner, Storm was causing small rain storms to short out other machines.

Up in the control room, Merry was almost pressed up against the glass with anxiety. Those down in the room had seemed to be in the deep end at first, but now were steadily taking down their enemies. Forge seemed to be bored now, swiveling around in his chair, only occasionally glancing at the control board. The team quickly took out the remaining electronics. Forge pushed the intercom button and leaned forward towards the microphone.

"Nice job, very nice." He drawled in a bored tone. "Now I suppose I get to clean up all this mess. Hey, guys, if a student gets sent to detention, send 'em to me. I've got a few chores I could put them on." He sat back and smiled to himself as Logan cussed him out below.

Logan looked around him at the rest of the team. Most of them looked tired but other than that no one was actually hurt. Glancing back up at the control room he spied Merry looking down. Realization flashed through his mind.

"Stupid show-off." He muttered under his breath. "Alright, nice job, let's get outta here." He announced. "Hey, Piotr," he said, catching the Russian by his arm as he walked by. "Looks like you have a friend waiting." He nodded up towards the control booth. Piotr followed his glance and made eye contact with Merry, who gave a little wave. Piotr's face broke out into a smile as he waved back. He motioned for her to stay there, left the room and quickly made his way up to where she was.

"He-ey…" He uttered, suddenly feeling silly for thinking she was there just to see him. Many thoughts went through his mind, but he mentally shook them away. "Hey there. Shall we go back upstairs? Maybe, if you wanted to, you could come to the class that I teach this afternoon? I mean, if you don't have something. And if you wanted to. If you didn't want to, I'm sure we could find someone to hang out with, or uh, something to do." The normally stoic Russian found himself close to babbling, sounding more like Kitty than his normal self. Merry smiled gently, putting him at ease.

"That sounds nice. I'd love to come. Would the kids mind? Or the Professor?" Merry asked tentatively.  
"No, they won't mind. As long as you're not disruptive. You're not planning on being disruptive, are you?" His smile was crooked, one side spreading up higher than the other.

Under the control booth yet again, Forge rolled his eyes at the exchange of Merry and Piotr. "Would you two just leave so I can get my job done? I can't think over the sound of you two yappin'." Piotr opened the door of the room and, after Merry walked through, closed the door behind him. As they walked back towards the hallway, they saw the Professor pressing the code into a door up ahead. As they got closer, they saw a glimpse of Hacke behind a force field with the Professor and Beast in front of him. The door closed, and Merry's smile immediately left her face. Piotr put his arm around her, giving her a quick squeeze before leading her to the elevator. The doors dinged opened right away, and he hurriedly pushed the correct level. As the doors closed, Merry just stared into space.

**Poor Merry, she can't seem to get away from her past.  
See you next time! XOXO**


	11. Confrontation

**A/N: Thanks for sticking with me so far! I'm envisioning about probably about 6 chapters more at least. Enjoy this next installment! **

Chapter 11

Hacke paced slowly from one side to the other of his cell to the other. His cell had only the necessities, a bed, a sink, and a toilet behind a wall for privacy. A force field kept him from leaving his cell, yet allowed him to see out and others to see in.

Professor X watched silently from his wheelchair. Hacke had registered that he had seen him enter with a slight pause in his pacing, but there was no other recognition. Professor cleared his throat, causing Hacke to stop and turn around. Putting his hands in his pockets, Hacke gave off a casual carefree vibe. The professor opened his mouth to speak, but Hacke beat him to it.

"I see you've finally come down to talk to me. I assume that you've probably already talked to Meres, and that's she's most likely told you everything. I'm sure you've already tried to enter my mind, but I'll just stop you there, I've been trained to put up mental blocks, and so far no telepath has been able to break through them. So let me put your cards on the table Charles. May I call you Charles? Good. I'm not talking until Merry comes down here and I get to talk to her face to face. You can't break through my blocks, so you won't be able to pick my brain. You're not going to be able to get anything from me until I see Merry." He leaned back with a satisfied look and a smug grin on his face, his arms folded in a defiant stance, confidence radiating from him in waves.

Professor X thought a second, then gave a small nod. "Very well. If Merry feels safe enough to come down, then I will let you talk to her. If not, well then, my apologies, but we will be at a stand still. But one thing I do hope you'll grant me is the knowledge of how you found out Merry was here in the first place. And of course, how you got in through our defenses would be excellent information so that we might be able to adhere our system to prevent a reoccurrence." He leaned back and brought his fingers together in a tent formation.

Hacke pursed his lips. "Well. Maybe if the doctor taken a good enough look at Merry, you'd have figured that out by now. Though to be honest, it wouldn't have shown up until three days ago, which by the way, coincides with her 21st birthday. I wonder if she remembered the date. I'm sure the years we spent together caused time to fly by in her mind. I am curious though, have you been able to find out what her 'gift' is?", He laughed bitterly. "Well, looks like you won that round of wits. I'll admit, sometimes my pride gets the better of me. But seriously," He scoffed, "you're not going to get anything else out of me." Hacke turned and walked to the bed, laying down with his arms under his head. His gaze towards the ceiling, he started whistling. Professor X swung his chair around and placed his hand on the electronic pad to open the door. Wheeling out of the room, the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy sounded out behind him.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X

Up in his office, Merry sat silently in one of the plush chairs across from the desk at which the professor sat. Right behind her in a hovering protective stance was Piotr, and to her left also seated in a plush chair was Storm. Logan was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, his teeth chomped down on a lit cigar. Eric was leaning against the desk on the other side of Merry. The professor had just brought them all up to date on what Hacke had said. Merry had been silent since passing by where Hacke was being kept. Now she looked up and gave the professor a little smile.

"So, until he sees me, he-he won't give you any more information?" She asked with a slight quiver in her voice. Piotr laid his hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Correct, my dear." Professor X's face was grave. "But I won't let you go down there unless you feel absolutely safe, and definitely not without an escort."

"I'll go with her." Piotr spoke up right away, causing a "hrrmph" to escape from Logan. "If she does go down there, I'll go with her."

Merry looked at the professor. "I feel safe enough to go with Piotr down to see Hacke. If that's the only way he'll talk, and I can help in any way, I feel like I should do so." Piotr gave her shoulder another light squeeze as the professor's grave expression lifted just a second before falling back into a worried frown.

"Alright then, you and Piotr go down and try to get Hacke to talk. We'll wait up here. Return to us when you've convinced him to talk, and we'll proceed from there. Hopefully he'll open up once he's seen you." After relaying these instructions, the professor leaned back. "And Piotr," he called after them as they got up and left the room, "keep her safe. Take her out of that room if he makes any kind of move for her. I have the feeling he might try something."


	12. Hostage

**A/N: Hello again! Sorry about the lateness, I started a new job on Monday and therefore didn't have enough time to finish. Speaking of the job, my schedule will be wonky, so I don't know how well I will be able to stick with Tuesdays as my chapter reveal days, but I will make sure to reveal a chapter each week.  
Also, possible trigger warning? Just covering my bases. Thanks for reading, enjoy! **

Chapter 12

The elevator ride down to the lower level was quiet. Piotr and Merry stood side by side, Merry unconsciously leaning on Piotr. Many thoughts were flying through his mind, but it was hard to hold on to one with Merry unintentionally distracting him. His heart was full for this special "little" one.

The silence was starting to creep up on Merry, but her mind was failing to come up with something to say. She would think of half of a sentence before giving up and moving on to the next one. However, by the time she thought of a good enough sentence to use, the elevator doors had opened and Piotr stood expectantly waiting for her to step out.

The short walk to the cell room was also silent. Apprehension was starting to creep up on Merry's nervous mind. Piotr scanned his hand and the door opened. Taking Merry's hand, he gently led her into the same room as Hacke. The moment she stepped in the door, Hacke walked straight up to his side of the force field. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he pointedly ran his gaze up and down Merry's figure, a leery grin on his face.

"And how are you on this beautiful day, Meres?" his voice seemingly normal, acting as though they were taking a casual stroll through the park. "You look lovely. A nice glow about you. They must be better at servicing their guests than I thought." A low forced chuckle conveyed a deeper meaning behind the words. A slight involuntary shudder coursed through Merry's body, and Hacke's grin deepened. Piotr stepped up right behind Merry, wordlessly offering support. Hacke noticed and his grin faltered for a half second but he quickly plastered it back on. He focused on Merry's body instead, purposely lingering on her bust.

"Why lookee there. Somebody's gone up a few sizes since the last time I've seen you." Merry reached behind her and grasped Piotr's hand for comfort. Hacke continued, ignoring the hand connection. "What are you now, a D? Nah, you can't be more than a C. Why don't you just take that shirt off, and I'll tell you for sure. Course, I could never tell you girls apart. After awhile you just kind of run together."

At this Merry couldn't take anymore. Pushing an angry Piotr back, she walked forcefully up towards the force field, mouth open, ready to rail against Hacke. At the same time Hacke pressed something in his pocket, and the force field went down. Grabbing Merry's shoulder, he spun her around and wrapped his arm around her neck, forcing her in a type of head lock. Piotr rushed forward, but Hacke stopped him.

"Wouldn't want your girlfriend to experience a snapped neck, would you? Not a pleasant thing to go through. I would know, I've given a few of those to others. Now, down to business. If you don't want her to get hurt, place your hand on that reader and let us out of here. And don't try anything stupid. I can easily snap her neck before I die from a bullet or whatever you think will work. Trust me, this little beauty," here he paused to give Merry's cheek a loud kiss, "Mmm, this little beauty is going to die quicker than you can kill me. And that's a promise." Merry tried in vain to struggle, but Hacke's grip tightened.

Piotr hesitated for a moment but did as Hacke said, opening the door. His eyes were filled with anger, frustration, and pain. He stepped aside to let Hacke through with Merry but Hacke waved him forward.

"Not so fast. I need you to take me out of here. And I don't want you alerting anyone before I plan on it. So, take me to your garage. And without interacting with anyone else." Hacke struck a casual pose. Or at least as casual as one could get while having someone in a headlock. "Come on now. I know you must have a back way out of here. Lead us out of here."

**A/N: So? Whadja think? Let me know in the review and comment box! :) **


	13. Help!

**A/N: Sorry for the lateness, I've been busy with work. Enjoy this next chapter!**

**Update 6/23/15: I made a slight change to the end of this chapter, as I had written myself into a corner.**

**Update 7/7/15: So apparently I had skipped uploading a chapter. Now Chapter 12 is Chapter 13, and I uploaded the actual chapter 12. Also, I uploaded the latest chapter, Chapter 14. Thanks, and sorry for the confusion. **

Chapter 13

Hacke grabbed his gun that was still on a table next to the door, and tucked it into his pants behind his back.

Merry's head was still struggling to keep up with what was going on. Suddenly she felt a feeling of peace slowly flooding through her mind. _Merry, please don't be alarmed. This is Professor X. I sense that something is wrong. What happened? _Merry momentarily brightened, and Piotr looked at her before turning away, continuing to lead Hacke towards a back staircase. He sensed that the Professor was talking to her and tried to distract Hacke.

"So what's your plan Hacke? I'm curious, what will you do once you leave here? You know we're not just going to let you get away. Once you're gone, Merry and I will—".

"Ah, but Merry and you won't be able to do anything. You see, there's no way I'm letting my favorite girl stay behind. Specially when I'm not finished with her." Hacke scoffed.

_Professor, can you hear me? Please tell me you can hear me. _

_I can hear you just fine. Tell me what's going on. _

_Hacke's escaped. He's holding me in a choke hold. Piotr's being forced to lead us up the back way to the garage. And Hacke's planning on taking me with him. Please help us! I don't want to go back! _

_Please calm down Merry. Do you know how Hacke got out? _

_I don't know. It was something in one of his pockets. _

_Alright. Do you know where he's heading? _

_No clue. Please help us! I'm afraid Piotr will try something. Hacke has a gun. I don't want Piotr to get hurt because of me. _

_I'm on my way. Don't worry, I'll talk with Piotr. _

"See, we still have so many hours to spend with each other," Hacke continued, "I still haven't explored every inch of this magnificent body. Has she shown it to you yet? I doubt it. It took a few times before I got her to show me without me having to anything more than ask. She learned more quickly than others that I was willing to rough up a few pretty faces to get what I want." Hacke's boasting were steadily bringing back memories to Merry.

Piotr clenched his hands in an attempt not to put them around Hacke's throat. He knew that if he tried to do something Meredith would get hurt. A small whisper in his head signaled the professor's presence. _Piotr, Merry's told me what's going on. I'm on my way to the garage with Logan. Don't do anything to antagonize him. We don't want Merry to get caught in the middle. _Piotr grimaced. _Acknowledged. _They arrived at the door leading to the stair well.

"Well? Where does this lead?" Hacke asked impatiently.

"Back stairwell. We'll come out on the side of the mansion, close to the garage. Don't worry, we won't be seen by the students, they're all inside for classes." Piotr hoped the Professor brought enough help. Hacke motioned for Piotr to go first, following with Merry still tight in his embrace. Hacke resorted to dragging Merry up the stairs, there was no other way really. Merry let out a small whimper involuntarily, and Piotr whirled around.

"Do you have to hold her so tight? I won't try anything, relax your grip a little. You're hurting her unnecessarily." Piotr's naturally deep voice was almost lowered to a growl. Hacke's face momentarily registered a brief glimpse of fear, but his face resumed it's cocky expression. However, Merry felt a slight let-up of his grip. Now she was able to stumble up beside Hacke. At the top of the long, winding staircase was another door. Piotr took deep breath and opened it. Walking through, he turned around and faced Hacke, who had just come up through the door.

"We've arrived. Let her go. You've reached a mode of transportation. Just let her go and leave." Piotr's voice was still a deep growl. Hacke momentarily faltered but stayed his course.

"For the last time, she's not going anywhere except with me! Now show me where the keys are and bug off!" Hacke was starting to show his frustration visibly. Suddenly the keys flew from the bracket they were hanging on and headed straight towards Hacke. Hacke batted away the keys with his gun.

"Were you planning on going somewhere with our friend?" The calm tones of Professor X resounded throughout the garage.

**Thanks for reading! Unfortunately, the plot fairies have decided to vacation away from home, and I'm struggling with how to proceed. I will do my best, but I don't know if I'll be able to post a new chapter next week. **


	14. Cerebro

**A/N: So so sorry for taking so long to get this on here! My new job, while loads of fun, is tiring and taking up a lot of my time, so I'm still trying to find a balance of writing and life. Thank you for your patience! Enjoy! **

Chapter 14

Professor X and Erik stood by the garage door into the house, Erik's hand reached out towards Hacke, a strange look on Erik's face. Professor gave a side glance to Erik.

_Erik, what's wrong? Why haven't you grabbed his gun?  
Charles, it's not made of metal. I have no pull on it. He must have done his recon. He knew not to bring a weapon made of metal. Even the bullets aren't metal. He also knew about you, coming prepared with mental blocks, and about a back way from the basement. Suddenly I'm not so sure about what we're getting ourselves into. _

Hacke grinned as if he knew what they were conversing about. He waved his gun slightly, never taking the barrel far from Merry's temple.

"Are you wondering about this? Made of plastic. But still lethal. Don't worry, I won't use it unless I have to. And I'm getting tired of all this bravado. Just to make sure you stop doubting me," he sighed, "I'm afraid you leave me no choice but to do something drastic." Pointing the firearm to Merry's left leg, he pulled the trigger. A cry was tugged from Merry's mouth as the bullet passed through her leg. All three of the X-Men couldn't stop from inching towards her, but Hacke cocked the gun again in warning. Inching towards the car, Hacke shoved Merry into the driver's seat through the passenger side, and motioned for her to start the car. Merry's mind was clouded with pain, and she was slow to comply. Hacke leaved over and squeezed her leg, causing more pain to ripple up her body. Another cry escaped her but she managed to turn on the ignition.

"Professor, we can't just let him get away! Isn't there a way to stop them without hurting Merry?" Piotr's voice was full of pain and frustration. The professor closed his eyes for a mere moment before looking at Piotr.

"Let them through the doors. Hacke mentioned a tracker in Merry, maybe we can figure out the frequency and trace her to where they're going. You know I hate using people, but in this case, it's the best we can do right now."

The garage door opened and Merry put the car in drive. Hacke relaxed slightly and motioned for her to turn right outside of the gate. Soon the car and it's occupants were out of sight to those in the garage. Professor X hurried to wheel himself out of the garage and into the house.

Barking out orders, he called out using both his mind and his voice. "Piotr, you will escort me to Cerebro. Erik, find Forge and start finding Merry's beacon. _Logan, Hacke's left with Merry in one of our cars. Get the rest of the team ready and wait for a signal from Erik or I. _

_Okay Professor. I'm on it. _

Piotr started towards the door that led to the rest of the house. The professor was right behind him, wheeling in and heading to the elevator. As they rode down a couple levels, Piotr couldn't stop himself from tapping his fingers on his arm while they were folded across his chest. They rolled up to the entrance of Cerebro and Pietro pushed a button to reveal an eye scanner. Professor X rolled up and leaned forward and waited patiently for his eye to be scanned. The doors opened and Piotr rolled the wheelchair towards the machine. He lifted the helmet off of it's perch and slowly lowered it down on his head, grimacing as the cold steel came into contact with his skin.

"Comfortable?" Piotr asked. "Let me know when you're ready."

"I'm ready. Turn it on. Go slow, it's been a while since I've used Cerebro. You should start with a small range, they won't have gotten far while driving." The professor's voice was strained but determined. As his mind connected with the electronics, the room's lights dimmed and a red holograph surrounded them, misty clouds swirling as one by one white bursts of light showed up on the holograph. Professor X zoomed in on one light that was close to their location. As the light got bigger, it started to transform into a shape. The shape became clearer and formed a young lady driving a car, her left leg covered in blood, both dried and fresh. Piotr felt like the air had been sucker-punched out of him. Merry looked terrified and in pain, looking back over her shoulder. The men could see her glance over at Hacke, who was still jabbing the gun into her side.

"Piotr, quick! Nail down her location and then alert the others." Professor barked out.

Up in his office, Forge was typing furiously, switching from computer to laptop to computer again, his swivel chair occasionally squeaking as it moved. Magneto was hovering over his shoulder, trying to keep track of what Forge was doing. Forge was muttering under his breath, leaving Erik feeling like Forge was in his own world. Suddenly a dinging sounded from the laptop, causing Forge to roll over. Scanning the information, he gave out a cry of exultation. Down in Cerebro, Piotr gave out the same cry.

"Found her!"


	15. Woods

A/N: Thank you so so much for continuing to read my story! It means alot to me! So sorry for how late this chapter is, but I'm still really busy with work and family, so most of the time I only get about 10-15 minutes to work on this at a time. Anyway, here you go! Enjoy!

Chapter 15

The scenery before her laid out like a bad horror movie. Woods stretched out on either side of the road. Branches reached out towards the car. It didn't help that it was late at night. Merry leaned forward and couldn't help but gulp. The pain had receded to a dull, throbbing pulse of agony. A bruise was surely forming on her right side, where Hacke kept pushing her with the gun. He did so now, the repeated motion barely getting a reaction from Merry.

"Come on, keep driving!" Hacke barked. "Don't stop now. We're almost there. Follow this road until I tell you to stop." He motioned with his hands down the road.

Merry followed the road, winding deeper into the forest. She tried hard to remember, but eventually lost track of the many twists and turns of the road. Her head was getting fuzzy, and her eyelids were getting heavier and heavier. The pain, dull as it was, started to cloud her mind, and it became harder to keep driving. Slowly her foot eased off the gas pedal, the car going slower and slower. The road turned into a driveway, but Merry passed out. Hacke noticed the car slowing down, and jabbed harder, but it was no use. The car came to a complete stop about 20 ft in front of his hideout.

Hacke sighed and got out of the car. Slamming his door shut, he put the safety back in place and tucked his gun behind his back into the waistband of his jeans. He sauntered around the front of the car and stopped by the driver's door. Opening it, he unbuckled Merry and dragged her from the car. Whistling filled the small clearing as Hacke walked towards the front porch, Merry's body dragged behind him, blood from a reopened wound creating a trail from the car to the building. The strains of Yankee Doodle Dandy floated towards the tops of the trees as the door closed behind the two figures.

*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*

Piotr and Forge hovered over the computer tracking Merry's location. Cyclops was at the helm piloting the jet towards the last known location of her tracker. The radar scan started beeping again.

Forge, what's going on? Do I need to divert my path?" Cyclops called out from the cockpit. Forge rolled his eyes.

"Really man, you don't need to keep asking me. I told you I would tell you when and if you needed to change course!" Forge cleared his throat and sniffed. "Slight left, about 35 degrees." Cyclops gave a wary grin, and adjusted accordingly. Forge turned to Piotr, who was looking over his left shoulder. "Would you mind? I can't breathe with you so close to me. Relax, we'll get her back. Calm your panties down."

Piotr blushed. "S-sorry. I'll let you concentrate." He sat back in his seat, knee bouncing in anxious waiting. Professor X sent him some calming mental waves.

Try to calm yourself down Piotr. Merry needs us all at our best.

I apologize, Professor. I don't want to mess us up.

*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*

Meanwhile back in the cabin, Hacke laid Merry down on the couch. He whistled as he puttered around the cabin, opening drawers and setting up house, oddly calm for someone who had snatched a young woman from the X-Mansion. He looked at a clock on the wall and let out a low whistle. Scrambling with a nearby chair, he hurried to sit down a nearby desk with equipment on it. After flicking on switches and turning a few dials, he put on a headset and started talking to the person on the other end of the line.

"I'm ready for backup. They're on their way so hurry up. Be here in five, and be ready for a brawl."

*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*

Cyclops brought the jet down smoothly in a clearing close by. The soundless engines shut off as the aircraft bumped down softly. Cyclops had turned on the camouflage mode awhile out, so the jet was unnoticed by Hacke. As soon as they landed, the X-Men finished gearing up. All the members were present except for Beast and Rogue, who were at the mansion to protect and take care of the children. Piotr quickly finished up and was the first out. Logan put away his cigar with one last draw and popped his neck as he left the plane. Storm and Jean followed soon after. Erik made sure that Professor X safely exited the jet, while Cyclops made sure the jet was shut down enough before leaving. Bobby and Kitty both exited at the same time, Forge closing up the jet door after them though he was staying behind.

They quietly and slowly started to travel towards the location. As they walked, Kitty couldn't help humming a short tune, until she caught the stern eye of Cyclops. The humming died immediately, and Logan let out a grunt. Professor X shushed everyone as they came up to the fringe of the clearing. Using his mind, he continued to communicate with the team.

Jean, you head towards the back. Keep an eye on the back entrance. Bobby, please follow and giver her backup.

Professor!

No arguments, Cyclops. You and Storm will come up on the left, while Colossus and Shadowcat directly attack across the clearing straight towards door. I will stay here and help while Erik provides covering. Until we know where Merry is, I do not want any of you attacking Hacke. Now, let's go.

The team got into position on the outside of the clearing, before Professor X gave the go ahead to approach the cabin. Piotr tried to hold himself from rushing the cabin on his own, though his every instinct was pulling him towards where he felt Merry was. Feeling someone touching his arm, he looked down at his side to see Kitty smiling up at him with a sympathetic smile.

"She means a lot to you, doesn't she? She's only been in our lives a short time, but she does have a way of working her way into your heart. Don't worry, we'll get her back." Kitty's soft voice was barely audible, but Piotr heard every word loud and clear. Before he could say anything back, the sound of a door creaking open sounded from the porch of the cabin.

All heads swung towards the front door as Hacke stepped out. He moseyed over to the railing with his hands raised in the air in apparent defeat. He started chuckling, the eerie sound carrying across the clearing. Kitty looked down at Piotr's hands to see they were clenched tightly in a fist. Hacke's voice rang out with clarity as he chattered on. The X-Men glanced at each other in an effort to gather what exactly was going on. Hacke kept talking, but none of his sentences made any sense.

Suddenly, Professor X picked up on new players. There was a van of armed men coming towards the clearing, intent on helping Hacke escape with Merry. Professor sent out the information to his team. He saw a few startled faces, a few rolling of the eyes, and one stoic grumpy face, each one proof of receiving his message. Piotr started to look nervous, but soon his whole demeanor changed as he turned into Colossus, rising in height and width, his facial look becoming more determined to get Merry back into his safe arms. As the van rushed into the clearing, Piotr charged Hacke on the porch, letting out a fierce battlecry.


	16. Scrimmage

**A/N sorry, the first upload didn't go through well...Hope this one works. Enjoy! **

Chapter 16

Merry's head was swimming as she regained consciousness. The pain in her leg was still there, but the pain took a backseat to the panic and curiosity of where she was now. Looking around, she took note of her surroundings. She was lying down on a couch, which was located in the middle of the cabin. Across from her was a fireplace, plain with no adornments anywhere on the wall. As she looked around the room, she noticed that there were no decorations anywhere. Everything in the room was functional, there were no knickknacks where she could see. She sat up, grunting as her head swirled. Her body felt stiff. Her thoughts flew immediately to where Hacke might be.

Noises brought her attention to outside the front of the cabin. She took a step forward and stumbled towards the door. Creaking the door open, she saw Hacke with his back to her, leaning against the railing. She caught a glimpse of Cyclops, his fists curled in disgust with a forward stance. Peering the other way, she saw Piotr, her heart skipping a beat. Hacke was sounding like he did when he was stalling, and she found herself wondering why. From a far off distance, she heard the sound of motor engine running. The car seemed to get closer in proximity. A van appeared at the edge of the clearing at the same time as Piotr rushing towards the man on the porch.

Storm decided it was time to start the battle and flung her arms up, summoning thunder and lightening towards her hands. She then directing the line of fire towards the van, which still had some of the soldiers inside it. The hood started smoking, a cloud of grey floating towards the crackling sky. The soldiers spread out in groups no smaller than three individuals, each focusing on a different X-Man.

Logan shot his arms out to the side with the accompanying sss-sh of his claws jutting out. As the soldiers rushed towards him, he growled and started batting them out of the way, slaying them only when needed. Otherwise they received a knock out blow. Cyclops was at Storm's back, turning around in continual circles. Soldiers were being taken down left and right. Lightening kept raining down, the sky darkened with the thunder clouds Storm was controlling. /spanKitty was busy whirling around in a dance-like pattern. She would phase through the soldiers, grabbing their guns in the process, then phasing them pointing down into the ground, effectively preventing any further use.

Hacke noticed Piotr rushing towards him and raised his gun. Panic began to rise up in Merry's throat. The bullet left the gun as Merry rushed forward and grabbed vainly at Hacke's shooting arm. Merry screamed out in alarm.

Piotr put an extra burst of speed in an effort to reach Hacke and Merry, who was grappling for the gun in Hacke's possession. He felt the bullet whoosh past his metal skin, and slid to turn around. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. Eric was manipulating bullets around Jean when he was mentally prodded by Professor X towards the other side of the clearing. He reached out towards the bullet but couldn't divert it away in time

Kitty felt an immense pain spreading throughout her shoulder near her clavicle. A dampness was trickling down her chest. She looked down in shock at the bullet lodged in her body. All the X-Men were still connected via Professor X, and felt a diluted echo of the pain. Their attention was taken for a moment by concern. Even the most hardened team member was distracted by Kitty's immense pain.  
However, each of the X-Men soon turned back to fighting after seeing Piotr rush to Kitty's side to shield her from any attacks. They each fought vigorously. Their passion was ignited by the injury of one of their own, especially one so dear as Kitty. Logan's fury was intimidating, and soon the soldiers were shying away from the growling Wolverine, preferring instead to dodge the lightening coming from Storm's hands or laser beams from Cyclops's vision.

Merry found strength within her and rushed towards Kitty, thankful that Piotr had already reached her. She dodged around the soldiers and weaved her way through the chaos. She reached Kitty's side out of breath and in immense pain. Piotr was trying to stop the bleeding coming from Kitty's shoulder. Merry couldn't just sit and do nothing, so she nudged Piotr out of the way.

"I'll take care of the wound, just make sure no one else gets hurt. Protect us. Please." Merry's eyes looked up into Piotr's blue eyes with a desperate plea. Kitty's eyes were shut from the pain and her teeth were clamped down in an effort to keep quiet. Piotr squeezed her arm in comfort and quickly stood up and joined the fray.

Merry's tears started to appear down her cheeks. Trying to stop the bleeding, she clamped down on Kitty's shoulder with her hand. Something deep down inside her burst open, and a warmth spread out all over her. This feeling seemed to overtake each of her cells, bringing her body temperature up a few degrees. As it traveled down into her hand, something else seemed to take place. Kitty felt the pain being absolved, slowly leaving her body. She gazed in wonder at Merry, who wasn't quite sure what was happening. The wound began to close up, healing itself nicely. Merry pulled back her hand in shock, trying to figure out what was going on. Immediately the injury stopped healing. Merry stared dumbly at her hand, before putting it back on Kitty's shoulder. The wound healed completely, a neat scar showing proof of what had happened.  
Kitty sat up, feeling the rough hole in her suit. The only thing she could find was the blood from her wound and the slight puckering of skin that was her scar. Kitty looked at Merry, who was still dumbstruck at what had happened. Pushing herself forward, Kitty knocked over Merry with a tight hug. Merry cried out at the pressure on her leg. Kitty pulled back and looked down at Merry's leg. The pants material was drenched with both dried and fresh blood. Kitty looked back up at Merry.

"Do you think it would work on your leg?" Kitty asked inquisitively. Merry had no clue. She placed her hand on her wound, but nothing happened. She tried again. This time it felt like some of the pain went away, but nothing noticeable happened. With some prompting from Kitty, she tried focusing as hard as she could. This time she could feel her tissue and bone knitting back together, but the warmth died away completely before she could completely heal. She gave up and just sat with Kitty.

Around them, it seemed that the tide had turned in favor of the X-Men. Soldiers were in piles around the courtyard, and all of the X-Men seemed to be still standing. Hacke looked around and decided to escape through the back. Heading back into the cabin, he disappeared from view. Professor sent Cyclops and Jean into the cabin after him while he went toward the girls with Erik. Storm and Logan also headed towards Merry and Kitty, rushing towards them to see what had happened. Piotr rushed after Cyclops and Jean in an effort to reach Hacke. All three of them entered the cabin to see papers everywhere. They quickly searched the small building. Piotr beckoned the other two to the bedroom.

"Look." With this simple word he pointed to an open trapdoor leading downwards. They moved to go down but paused at the sound of a helicopter. Rushing towards the back they burst open the back door. To their amazement the ground seemed to open up as the noise got louder.

Those still in the front were trying to tend to Merry's injury. Hearing the noise as well, they looked up to see an aircraft rising up behind the cabin, then as it sped off into the clouds. Hacke was gone.

**Let me know what you think about this chapter! It took me awhile to figure out how to show Merry's power. :) Did you enjoy it?**


	17. Regroup

**A/N: Hello again! Thank you for reading this far! Enjoy!**

Storm tended to Merry's wound with Kitty helping. The rest of the group started piling the soldiers in groups. The dead ones were put off to the side, and the injured ones were propped up against each other. Jean, Cyclops and Piotr came around the side of the cabin in defeat of not catching Hacke. Piotr came over and hugged Kitty, his arms incasing her small body. Her shoulder was still sore, but she returned the embrace with vigor. Piotr then turned to Merry and enveloped her in a hug. Merry closed her eyes, taking in the safeness that she felt in his arms. He gave her a quick kiss on her forehead, then released her to check Storm's progress of treating her injury. As he looked over her leg, the pain seemed to flood back into her mind. This coupled with the anxiety and stress of the last few hours overwhelmed her until she couldn't hold it in. Slowly but surely, silent tears started to flow down her cheeks, cascading until her cheeks were wet. Piotr noticed and pulled her back into his embrace. Kitty reached over and stroked her hair in a comforting gesture as sobs broke loose from Merry. Storm got up to give them some space and went off to check on the rest of the teammates.

Professor X wheeled over as Merry's sobs died down. The rest of the team had finished their tasks and slowly came back to the little group. Professor X looked over the group and focused on Merry.

"It seems you have discovered your talent, Merry. A useful one. I must congratulate you on progressing so far as to use it successfully with Kitty. Have you yet to try it on yourself?" His voice was calm and collected, no signs that he had just participated in a battle. Merry shook her head, pulling back from Piotr.

"Kind of. I've tried, but I can't seem to, at least not all the way. I took some of the pain away, and I think it started to knit back together, but I don't think anything else happened." Her voice, though wavery at first, grew steadier by the time she finished.

"Would you like to try again? I would love to see your talent in action." The Professor's soft voice was inquisitive, a hint of wonder lacing his words. Merry was hesitant, but nodded her head. Moving slightly away from Piotr and Kitty, she leaned forward and placed her hand on her leg. She pulled everything she had to the surface and focused on the wound. A slight crackling sound came from beneath the bandage, and Kitty pulled it back to reveal Merry's skin slowly growing back together, but only for a few seconds before the sound died out and the injury stopped healing. Kitty's face contorted in an expression of disbelief for a brief instant before she composed herself. Piotr noticed beads of sweat on Merry's forehead forming and wiped them away with his thumb.

"Hey, you can stop. You're tiring yourself out. We can do this another time." His low voice matched the concerned look on his face. Merry shook her head slightly and strained to put more energy into her leg. Professor X also noticed.

"Merry, I agree. You're pushing yourself too far. Curiosity can wait—" As he spoke, Merry's body went limp and her eyes rolled back. Piotr moved forward to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Why don't you take her into the X-Jet. Re-bandage her wound and make sure she rests." Professor X ordered. Piotr nodded as he swooped up Merry and headed towards the jet. Kitty followed after a gesture from the professor. The Professor and Erik were called over to the cabin by Logan's gruff voice.

Logan and Storm were in the office area of the cabin, surrounded by papers. The files had been searched through, and in piles based on importance. Hacke had already been organized, so it wasn't hard to sort through. As Erik and Professor X entered the cabin, Logan motioned them over. Storm pushed forward a map, which had several locations circled in red.

"Where are these locations?" Erik inquired. He tapped the first one, continuing, "This looks like the location of the X-Mansion."

"It is. This," Storm tapped a second location close to the first. "Is the location of the cabin. This third location," Pointing the last circle, "Is located somewhere on the outskirts of a city in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania." Storm whipped out her phone and typed in the coordinates. She turned her phone around to show a picture of a big house with a white picket fence and a nice landscape in front. Professor X's head rocked back in acknowledgment. "Any ideas?" Storm asked.

"It's the house where they kept Merry and the other mutant children." Professor X answered. "If that's where Hacke was planning on taking her, then they must still use that location as their base. We need to plan an attack and rescue mission. I can't see there being a reason why they would stop with their trade since Merry left."

"We don't have enough people on our team to take on that kind of manpower." Logan gruffly stated. Erik rolled his eyes.

"Well then we'll just have to call in reinforcements, won't we? Charles?" He questioned. Professor X nodded. "I believe we have the same people in mind. Shall we?"

**A/N: Thank you to all who have already reviewed/given me their thoughts! I enjoy reading them. :) Whad'ja think?**


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